The Duchess will officially become the ship's godmother in a christening ceremony that will take place on June 13 in Southampton. The ship will then embark on its maiden voyage three days later.

"We are delighted that the Duchess will launch our new ship and can think of no better way to celebrate our company’s British heritage and our commitment to the country," Princess Cruises president and CEO said of the news.

Ship-naming, which is a storied tradition that has been occurring in Britain and around the world for thousands of years, is an honor to which the Duchess has a connection through her royal association.

The late Princess Diana—mother of the Duchess' husband, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge—christened the very first Royal Princess in 1984 shortly before Princess Di's second son, Prince Harry, was born.

The Duchess also joins the company of late actress Audrey Hepburn and the recently departed former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who once also ceremonially broke a bottle of champagne over the ship's hull in the name of good luck.